Apparatus for folding paper sheets



Jan. 3, 1950 E. J. LA COUR APPARATUS FOR FOLDING PAPER SHEETS Filed Sept. 7, 1945 In vehfor E-vaAla J. LA Coma FIGS Patented Jan. 3, 1950 APPARATUS FOR FOLDING PAPER SHEETS Edgar J. La Cour, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to rchard Paper Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application September 7, 1945, Serial No. 614,857

2 Claims.

I This invention relates to improvements in paper art principally, and more especially where it is required that paper or other flexible sheets be folded for various reasons, as for making the sheets more compact, for instance. 5 Many other objects and advantages of the con- One of the principal objects of this invention struction, method and operation, and apparatus is to construct an apparatus for performing said herein shown and described, and the uses menfolding, that will be extremely inexpensive, yet tioned, will be obvious to those skilled in the art positive in its action. to which this invention appertains, as will be The invention has an added object, of so conapparent from the disclosures herein given. 7 structing an apparatus of the kind described, that To this end, my invention consists in the novel the folding operation will be performed as rapidly construction, arrangement and combination of as desired, and without danger of damaging the parts of the apparatus shown and described, and paper sheets during the folding of the same. the method employed. as will be more clearly A further object of my invention is to so con- 1:) pointed out in the claims hereunto appended. struct an apparatus of the kind described, that a In the drawings, wherein like reference charstack of said sheets may be placed in place, and acters indicate like or corresponding parts from whence the sheets will be withdrawn in throughout the views, sequence as the apparatus is operated, and prop- Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view erly folded as desired, smoothly and evenly and through the apparatus for folding the sheets; and with a minimum of attention during such opera- Figures 2 through 6 illustrate progressive stages tion. in the withdrawing and folding of a sheet from Another object of this invention is to so conthe stack, and the sheet finally about to be disstruot a folding mechanism of the kind described, charged from the fold creasing means. that the sheets may be withdrawn one at a time With further reference to the drawings, wherein sequence, from a stack of sheets that are held in I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of deflected along substantially their predetermined my invention, an apparatus is shown for autoline of fold, and fed into creasing means. matically taking a sheet of flexible material, such A still further object of my invention is to proas of paper or the like, either imprinted or plain vide a folding means whereby the lowermost sheet as desired, from a supply of such sheets and foldof the stack will be withdrawn, in sequence, by ing the sheet at a predetermined interval between frictionally engaging the same along a pair of its ends. This folding is done for any one or more spaced intervals and sliding the sheet thus enreasons, as for example, in folding a broadside or gaged, relatively of the remainder of the stack, other printed sheet into proper size for use in a bringing the engaged portions together so as to predetermined mailing envelope. substantially double the sheet upon itself, and It has been my intention to so construct the thence feed the sheet so doubled, into the foldfolding mechanism hereinafter described, with as creasing means. few parts as possible, and yet enable it to be used Still another object of this invention is to so with efficiency and on a factory-production basis, construct apparatus of the kind set forth, that and it is believed that such simplicity and rethe fold creasing means will normally engage the sultant economy in construction and operation under sheet of the stack and move therepast in will enable it to be used in substantially all insliding relationship to be ineffective to actuate stances where folding of flexible sheets is rethe sheet so engaged, but that a highly frictional quired, or deemed advisable. material shall be incorporated into each of said To this end, I have shown the apparatus as creasing means substantially as part of the peemploying a platform I, or other suitable support riphery thereof in a narrow longitudinally exhavinga plane surface for receiving and retaintending strip, so that as said frictional strips, ing a supply of the sheets to be folded, as by driven toward one another in unison, engage said superimposing these sheets 2, one upon the other lowermost sheet at the pair of spaced intervals, in a substantially vertical formation or stack. If they will actuate the two ends of the sheet toward desired, side or end stops 3 may be used as needed one another to withdraw said sheet from the to abut the edges of the stack and prevent any stack, and feed said withdrawn sheet into the accidental shifting of the sheets on the platform. crease forming part of said creasing means. An elongated weight or bar 4 may be inter- Other objects of this invention include the pro- 56 posed across the platform, extending along sub- 2 duction of sheet-folding means, and the method of folding, that will be extremely simple and inexpensive, rapid, and otherwise satisfactory and efficient for use wherever deemed applicable.

and so positioned that they. will exert pressure on a sheet fed therebetween, and that the rolls substantially engage each other in. a line. in registry with the predetermined line of fold of.

the sheets in the stack, and with the median line through the deflector element.

If the rolls 6-6 were left without further additions or cooperating elements, then even with the deflector element in operative position to deflect' the stacked sheets as shown, and the'rolls driven in the directions indicated by. thearrows thereon, the rolls would simply slip or slide in engagement withathe. lowermost sheet of the stack, .and would not withdraw such sheet. The coeificient'of friction between the sheet and the peripheral surface ofthe rolls would be too. ineffectual to actuatethe sheets or withdraw the same.

In order to. perform such withdrawal of the sheets in sequence from; the under side of the stack, in orderto' feed the withdrawn sheets into position to be creased betweenthe folding rolls, I have interposed means. at a narrow portion of'the peripheral surface'of each roll 6, that will grip thesheet with" sufdcient forceto actuate the latter and pull or push. .it relatively of the other sheets superimposed thereon in .the stack.-

Although various'means'might be employed to perform thismovement-of the sheets, yet-I have devised means that-are. suflicientlyeffective for the purpose and yetiwill accomplish it in such a manner so as not-to damage any of the sheets;

and which may be operated rapidly and with positiveness. A narrow strip. of adherent material, such as rubber or rubber-treated element 1, is interposed to extend. longitudinally. in each of the. rolls 6-6, preferably slightlybelow their mainperipheral surfaces.

Thisstrip, as set forth, or of any other:suitably highly frictional material, as. compared to. the.

sheets, will operate to carry the sheet in the direction in whichtl'ieistrip is. moved, but will.

release easily. therefrom when desired. placed on the rolls 6-6 so. that they meet-at each revolution. of the.latter,.so. thatwhen the rolls are driven atequalspeedsthe.strips will.

themain peripheral.surfaceofthe. rolls areat a.

slightly greater distance. radially than is the exe terior surface of'saidistrips, so thatthe. rolls:

normally simply slide. relatively-of the sheets with which theycontact, yet as soon as the strips. reachthe topmostrpointof their travel, and es.- p ecially at: slightlytherepast; and aided by the downward curvature given to the sheets by said deflector, the strips more firmly engage and adhere to the underside of the said sheet, the two strips together shifting the sheet relatively of the stack, to bring the ends of the sheet inwardly toward one another, and to bend the intermediate portion of said sheet to a U-shape or doubled relation. Continued travel of both strips in unison carries the doubled portion of the sheet into the main or creaser portion of the rolls to thereby sharply fold the same along the predetermined fold line, the greater diameter of the rolls thereat' aiding in permitting release of the sheets from the strips as the sheets pass through the rolls.

Each time that the strips come uppermost they will engage the sheet then lowermost in the stack, and actuate the same and fold it in the manner just described, one sheet after the other until all sheets in the stack have been used.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement, construction and combination of parts herein shown and described, nor the method employed, except as limited by the state of the art to which this invention appertains, and the claims hereunto appended.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for folding sheets one at a time from a stack of superimposed sheets, a supporting platform for said stacked sheets, a pair of creaser rolls slidably supporting said sheets, and frictionallyadherent strips longitudinally extending on both rolls at a' single interval of their periphery but below thelatter to together intermittently grip the lowermost sheet of the'stack to pull the sheet toward the said rolls to bend the sheet double between said creaser rolls.

2; In an apparatus for folding sheets in sequence along. a predetermined fold line, a platform for holding the sheets stacked, a pair of creaser'rolls drivingly'interconnected to rotate in unison below said platform and having their peripheral surfaces substantially flush with the supporting plane of said supporting'platform to slidably engage the under side of the stacked sheets to either side ofsaid fold line, and a longitudinally extending strip of relatively highly frictional material in and'slightly below the periphery of each roll to simultaneously engage the undermost sheetsinsequence along intervals substantially equidistant from said fold line and-actuate the ends of the-engaged sheet downwardly to draw said sheets radially inwardly of the rolls and feed the same folded 0 into andthrough said creaser rolls.

EDGAR J. LA COUR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

